Justin Baldoni's Ex-Agent Rips Blake Lively's Actions As 'Extortion' Amid Legal Battle

Justin Baldoni's former agent, Danny Greenberg, has slammed Blake Lively's behavior as "extortion" amid their ongoing legal battle.

This comes after the actor was sued by The New York Times for legal fees related to a lawsuit a judge dismissed back in June.

Justin Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, was also recently sued for malpractice in a previous case connected to the actor.

Ahead of their March 2026 trial, Justin Baldoni's legal battle with his "It Ends With Us" costar, Blake Lively, continues to see accusations hurled from both camps.

The actor's former agent, Danny Greenberg, is the latest to weigh in on the issue, describing Lively's behavior as "extortion."

In a deposition transcript obtained by TMZ, Greenberg stated that her entire behavior and the pressure she exerted against Baldoni and his Wayfarer studios felt like an "extortion" to him.

The "Gossip Girl" star has pulled out all the stops in a bid to get justice after she accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her on the set of the film. In addition to that, she alleged he launched a smear campaign against her, claims the actor denies.

According to the news outlet, Lively's makeup artist, Vivian Baker, said in her case deposition that the inappropriate incidents Baldoni is accused of happened during the first phase of filming, while the actress's talent manager, Warren Zavala, said he wasn't aware of any incident that made her uncomfortable during the second phase.

However, Zavala added that there was an issue with her raising an alarm during the "post process" when they tested a cut of the film.

Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively as well as her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist, Leslie Sloane.

He also filed a $250 million lawsuit against the New York Times for an article in which they claimed he and his PR team were behind a smear campaign against the actress.

However, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed the case in June, stating that Lively's claims were made within privileged court documents.

"The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged," Judge Liman noted in his ruling, per People Magazine.

He continued, "The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign."

Judge Liman added that Baldoni and his camp "have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane, or the Times would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law."

He then ruled that, "The Wayfarer Parties' additional claims also fail. Accordingly, the Amended Complaint must be dismissed in its entirety."

Baldoni has now been sued by The New York Times for costs related to the since-dismissed case, as the news outlet claimed that it incurred costs of around $150,000.

In a complaint filed on September 30 in the New York Supreme Court, the publication cited the state's anti-SLAPP law while noting that the move is "to recover costs, fees, and expenses incurred by The Times in the defense of a defamation action brought by Wayfarer and parties associated" with Baldoni's studio, per People Magazine.

They're seeking "compensatory and punitive damages against plaintiffs who, like Wayfarer, commence or continue meritless legal claims for the purpose of 'harassing, intimidating, punishing or otherwise maliciously inhibiting the free exercise of speech.'"

In a statement obtained by the news outlet, Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, responded to the lawsuit, saying they "refuse to cave to power brokers even in the face of seemingly impossible odds."

"We continue to stand tall for a reason: the pursuit of truth, in the face of giants," he stated.

Freedman added that "unwillingness to compromise" their values no matter the circumstances shows "a simple conviction that standing up for the truth and what is right matters."

Meanwhile, Freedman came under scrutiny when a man filed a lawsuit accusing him of malpractice in a case related to Baldoni and his Wayfarer Entertainment company, per The Hollywood Reporter.

At the time, Freedman represented Travis Flores, a man with cystic fibrosis who claimed that Baldoni's "Five Feet Apart" film was a rip-off of his then-client's script for "Three Feet Distance." Flores would later pass on in May 2024, having suffered complications from his condition.

However, his husband, Clement Souyri, recently filed a complaint accusing the lawyer of having inappropriately "traded up" from "seriously ill client" Flores to "healthier client" Baldoni.

Souyri accused Freedman of publicly defending himself by betraying attorney-client privileges and misrepresenting the merits of his late partner's case in the media.